Our Community Grants program

Australian communities are being hit harder by natural disasters more often. It takes many hands to get communities back up and running after a disaster and to build resilience for the next one.

That’s why the NAB Foundation Community Grants program provides funding of up to $25,000 for local projects that help communities withstand and recover from natural disasters.

We award $1 million in Community Grants each year, with additional $200,000 available in Impact Grants, for projects with big potential. These Impact Grants provide a further $25,000 to recipients to maximise the impact they have on their communities.

NAB Foundation Community Grants support community-led projects that relate to:

Training and planning

Educational workshops, practical and strategic planning that help communities prepare for a natural disaster.

Community Recovery

Programs to enhance community connection, resilience and wellbeing post natural disaster.

Environment and wildlife

Restoration of damaged vegetation and habitat, and rehabilitation of injured wildlife.

Equipment and Infrastructure

Tools, equipment and infrastructure improvements that help communities withstand natural disasters or recover in their aftermath.

Read more about our previous grant recipients.

  Prioritised funding areas
Readiness: helping communities (people, environments and infrastructure) prepare for natural disasters.
  • Preparedness and resilience tools and trainings for households, communities and businesses
  • Disaster response tools and equipment
  • Future proofing community infrastructure
  • Mental health and wellbeing programs that prepare people for natural disasters
  • Future-proofing natural environments
  • Future-proofing wildlife
Recovery: helping communities, landscapes and fauna rebuild and rehabilitate after natural disasters.
  • Initiatives that rebuild community cohesion after a natural disaster
  • Rebuilding community infrastructure
  • Community recovery planning
  • Mental health and wellbeing recovery
  • Rehabilitation of natural environments
  • Wildlife recovery and rehabilitation
Future-proofing: reducing the risk of future natural disasters by cutting a community’s carbon emissions.
  • Food co-operatives
  • Urban greening
  • Efficient waste recovery and recycling
  • Low-carbon transport and supporting infrastructure

How to apply for a Community Grant

Applications for the NAB Foundation Community Grants program are now open.

Applications will close on 30 April 2024, with funding awarded in June. Contact nabfoundation@nab.com.au if you have any further questions.

  • Applications are assessed by the NAB Foundation team and NAB leaders in relevant regions. 

    A grant will be assessed on its own merits and final amounts will depend on the nature and needs of the successful applicant. Community Grant recipients eligible for an Impact Grant will go on a shortlist and NAB colleagues will vote to decide the recipients.

  • Eligibility criteria

    NAB Foundation Community Grants are open to:

    • Charities that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for Profits Commission (ACNC). 
    • Social enterprises (not-for-profit and for-profit) or start-ups with social or environmental impact at the core of their business. 
    • Groups or organisations (not-for-profit and for-profit) that hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have a charitable purpose
    • Local government or government-funded facilities (such as a school or childcare centre) seeking funding for a program that furthers charitable purpose.

    Your organisation doesn’t need to have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. 

    If your organisation is not a registered charity or social enterprise with the ACNC, it must have documentation that demonstrates its charitable purpose. You’ll be asked to certify this and upload supporting documentation in the application form.

    If you are a government entity (local government or council), you will be asked to certify that the funds will be used solely for the charitable purpose outlined in your application, and not recorded as a donation to a government or political party, or as a political donation.

    Here are some other important points about applying:

    • You don’t need to be a NAB customer.
    • You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply.
    • Your organisation doesn’t need to operate Australia-wide. 
    • You can apply for a NAB Foundation Community Grant if you’ve successfully applied for grants from other organisations. 
    • You can only apply for and receive one NAB Foundation Community Grant each calendar year. 
  • Applications won’t be accepted for the following: 

    • organisations or programs outside Australia
    • organisations that don’t have an ABN or those that don’t hold a charitable purpose 
    • individual applicants or personal expenses
    • programs that don’t align to the categories of the Community Grants program
    • activities that may be deemed harmful to the community or the environment
    • recurrent costs or continued funding (grants are one-off) 
    • government entities (with the exception of local government or government-funded facilities such as a school or childcare centre)
    • retrospective requests, general fundraising appeals or commercial sponsorships
    • business as usual activities, including marketing and fundraising activities
    • religious or sectarian education (programs by religion-based organisations that support a non-religious purpose are eligible to apply)
    • political support or political organisations
    • bequest programs
    • foundations that are grant-making bodies.
  • A charitable purpose (also called a mission or objective) may be the reason an organisation has been set up and the activities implemented towards achieving this purpose. This purpose is usually set out in an organisation's governing documentation. There are 12 charitable purposes set out in the Charities Act 2013 (Cth) (section 12(1)): 

    • advancing health
    • advancing education
    • advancing social or public welfare
    • advancing religion
    • advancing culture
    • promoting reconciliation, mutual respect and tolerance between groups of individuals in Australia
    • promoting or protecting human rights
    • advancing the security or safety of Australia or the Australian public
    • preventing or relieving the suffering of animals
    • advancing the natural environment
    • other similar purposes ‘beneficial to the general public’ (a general category)
    • promoting or opposing a change to any matter established by law, policy or practice in the Commonwealth, a State, a Territory or another country (where that change furthers or opposes one or more of the purposes above).
  • The NAB Foundation intends to prioritise funding for smaller organisations with an income of $3 million or less per annum, and organisations that receive less than 40% of their annual funding from government. While the NAB Foundation will prioritise funding for smaller organisations, larger organisations can still apply, if they have a local project or initiative that meets local needs and can demonstrate the funds will be used at that local community level.

Important information